William zimmerman



WILLIAM ZIMMERMAN, oF ooL'FAX, Iowa.

Leners Patent No. 76,029, ma Mate/I 24, 186s.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it krown that L'WILLr-AM ZIMMERMAN, of Colfax, in the county of Jasper, and State of-Iowa, have invented a new andusefulHorse Hay-Fork andjManure and Earth-Elevator" and dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,iand exact description of the. same, reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, which are madepartyof this specification; v The subject of my invention is a horse hay-fork, provided with 'a novel tripping or discharging-device, and also adapted for use in connection with certain novel accessories, hereinafterdescribed, whereby the instrument may be transformed into a manure-loading scoop, or shovel for elevating earth.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. hay-fork with my improved .tripping or discharging-device applied. Figure 2 is a plan of the same. f Figures Sfandfl are similar views of the fork as transformed into a scoopgorshovel'for loading manure. Similar letters of reference indicate,` corresponding parts in the several figures. I j i AIAA may represent the vtines of a hay-fork welded: Yinto a solid head, and provided with a ring, A', at their joined converging extremities. is a. cross-bar, preferably round, connected to the tines A by means of staples gg g, which, passing through bar G from the front, so as to embrace the several tines, are riveted or otherwise rmly secured at the back ofG. B represents a chain, attached at its opposite extremities to the bar G, and attached at its mid-length to a hook, C,.by means of a bolt or otherwise. D is alatch, pivoted to the hook C, and E Yis a yoke or lstrap, also pivoted toC, and so applied as to embrace D. The hook C is formed with a ring, c, for the attachment ofthe rope F, by which the fork is raised and lowered. l

In operation, thefork is held in position to'sustain itsload by the engagement of the hook C withthe ring A, thelatter being heldupon vthe hook by theA latch D, which is held in contact with the extremity of hook C by meansof the pivoted yoke E, which, in its depressed or detaining position, bears upon the bridge or shoulder dof latch D. H is a tripping-rope, attachedvto the free end ofthe yoke E, and running through anotch inside of the ring c. This rope being pulled by hand raises the .yoke E cil" the shoulder ci, and the latch D being thereby released, permits-the ring A' to slide-oli` of the hook C. When lreleased from the hook C, as above explai'nedhthe fork A performs a partial revolution about the bar or axis Gr, so as to completely discharge its load. The .chainvB is n'ot concerned in sustaining the load while the hook C is engaged with the ring A', but the moment thehook lets go, the very slight extension ofwhich the chain B is susceptible causes the weight of the fork and its contents to devolve upon the said chain without subjectingthe latter to any sudden jerking or jarring action. Itis also manifest that Ano injurious action of this kind can occur when the'fork reaches the position of rest indicated by the red lines in figul', mainly by reasonA of the fact that the fork is divested -of its load before it completes its revolving and downward movement, I

In order to adapt'thefork for'the purposes of amanu're-loader, I apply a bar, H,V(see` figs. 3 and 4,) which serves to give rigidity to the tines, and to some extent prevents the manure from falling through the intervening spaces. This vboris furnished with staples i L-h, which, by being slipped upon the tines, securely attach the I har in a. position at right angles thereto, as represented.

When nsedas a man ureloader, the fork is drawn over the manure-pile horizontally by the elevatingrope F, as suggested by fig. 3 ofthe drawing, and a handle, I, with a hookedrod, J, enables the position of the forliY to be controlled by the attendant, so asA to make the fork scoop up its load without vpenetrating too deeply. The extremities of the arms' ofjthe handle I are formed with semicircnlar concavities, such as to partially embrace the bar G, against which the handle I is pressed, while lthe hook on the end of the'rod I is hitched to the ring A. f

In the manurefloading operation, the discharging-device C D E is, of course, employed. The hook on rod J may be so constructed as lto embrace the tines A at eitherside of the ring A. K is a broad metallic scoop or blade, applied to the tines A by means of staples or loops 7c, in likeA manner to thebar H. This scoop gives to the fork more ofthe character of a shovel, adapting it to elevate manure and earth .which may be too fine or loose to rest upon the tines H, even with the aid of the cross-bar H. The red lines in figs. 3 and 4.- indicate 'side-boards or pieces, which may be applied to the scoop K, if'desirable.

Having thus;` described my invention, the following is 'what I elamns new, and desire to Secure by Letters Patent: t

1. Ielaim, in a. hay or manure-elevatorifthe combination of the hook C, latch'D, yoke, E, chain B, and

connecting-bar@ arranged substantillyas; and for the -purpos'e set forth.

2.11 claim the combination, with-1.1J horse hay-fork', of the transverse bar H', .applied and operating in the' mannerlan'd forthe purpose set fort-h.

3. I caim the combination, with a. horse hayfork',` of the scoopor binde KivuadppliedV and operating substan tially as described.

4. I claim the detachable handle and rod or brace J,'.in combination with a horse lhay-fork, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. d WM. ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses.:

CHARLES 0. BONNEY, CHAs. W..?G1mes. 

